Methods Of Fabricating Ceramic Or Intermetallic Parts

ABSTRACT

A part includes a three-dimensional porous metallic workpiece printed via an additive manufacturing process and subsequently subjected to a diffusion-based process to convert at least a portion of the porous metallic workpiece to a ceramic workpiece or an intermetallic workpiece.

BACKGROUND

Additive manufacturing (e.g., 3D printing) can provide certainadvantages over traditional manufacturing processes. For manufacturingdrill bits used in the oil and gas industry, for example, one of themost significant advantages of additive manufacturing is the designflexibility and the ability to create forms and features not feasibleany other way. Similar advantages of additive manufacturing areapplicable to other industries. Additive manufacturing systems, such asdirect metal laser sintering or electron-beam melting, are currentlyavailable for fabricating or “printing” metal components. Printingceramic materials via additive manufacturing, however, poses significantchallenges.

In general, ceramic materials are bonded together using water or abinding agent, such as a polymer or a metal. The bonded structure isthen fired using conventional ceramic processing steps to convert thebonded structure to a ceramic. In additive manufacturing, it isdifficult to bond or melt ceramic particles to build up an additivemanufactured structure due to the high melting temperature of theceramic particles. Moreover, ceramics particles are brittle andtherefore sensitive to thermal stresses common to additive manufacturingas each successive layer is melted or sintered and cooled to build upthe desired structure or part.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following figures are included to illustrate certain aspects of thepresent disclosure, and should not be viewed as exclusive embodiments.The subject matter disclosed is capable of considerable modifications,alterations, combinations, and equivalents in form and function, withoutdeparting from the scope of this disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a schematic flowchart of an exemplary method of fabricating apart.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an exemplary drill bit that may be atleast partially fabricated in accordance with the principles of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the drill bit of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view of an exemplary mold assembly foruse in forming the drill bit of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of the drill bit of FIG. 2 ascomprising a hard composite portion and one or more localized ceramic orintermetallic workpieces.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view of the drill bit of FIG. 2 ascomprising a hard composite portion and a ceramic or intermetallicworkpiece.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the drill bit of FIG. 2 ascomprising a hard composite portion and multiple ceramic orintermetallic workpieces.

FIG. 8 is a schematic drawing showing one example of a drilling assemblysuitable for use in conjunction with the drill bits of the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure relates to part manufacturing and, moreparticularly, to fabricating ceramic or intermetallic parts usingadditive manufacturing.

Embodiments described herein provide processes or methods that allowceramic or intermetallic materials to be fabricated using additivemanufacturing techniques. The presently disclosed methods may be used,for example, to print a three-dimensional porous metallic workpiece viaan additive manufacturing process. The porous metallic workpiece issubsequently subjected to a diffusion-based process to convert at leasta portion of the porous metallic workpiece to a ceramic workpiece or anintermetallic workpiece. Burnout of binding agents typically included ina ceramic is not necessary since the resulting ceramic or intermetallicstructure is initially produced as a metallic structure or workpiece,after which a suitable diffusion-based process transforms the metallicworkpiece in situ to a ceramic or intermetallic. In one specificembodiment, a part may be manufactured by printing and carburizing atungsten structure resulting in a tungsten carbide structure, such as adrill bit or a drill bit component, which may subsequently beinfiltrated to form a tungsten carbide metal-matrix composite. It willbe appreciated that many different shapes and structures are possiblebeyond those common to particle production methods, foam productionmethods, and resulting structures of packed powder.

The principles of the present disclosure may be applied to manufacturingtools or parts commonly used in the oil and gas industry for theexploration and recovery of hydrocarbons. Such tools and parts include,but are not limited to, oilfield drill bits or cutting tools (e.g.,fixed-angle drill bits, roller-cone drill bits, coring drill bits,bi-center drill bits, impregnated drill bits, reamers, stabilizers, holeopeners, cutters), non-retrievable drilling components, aluminum drillbit bodies associated with casing drilling of wellbores, drill-stringstabilizers, cones for roller-cone drill bits, models for forging diesused to fabricate support arms for roller-cone drill bits, arms forfixed reamers, arms for expandable reamers, internal componentsassociated with expandable reamers, sleeves attached to an uphole end ofa rotary drill bit, rotary steering tools, logging-while-drilling tools,measurement-while-drilling tools, side-wall coring tools, fishingspears, washover tools, rotors, stators and/or housings for downholedrilling motors, blades and housings for downhole turbines, and otherdownhole tools having complex configurations and/or asymmetricgeometries associated with forming a wellbore.

It will be appreciated, however, that the principles of the presentdisclosure may be equally be applied to manufacturing tools or partsused in any other industry or field that may benefit from thefabrication of ceramic or intermetallic parts. For instance, the methodsdescribed herein may be applied to fabricating armor plating, automotivecomponents (e.g., sleeves, cylinder liners, driveshafts, exhaust valves,brake rotors), bicycle frames, brake fins, aerospace components (e.g.,landing-gear components, structural tubes, struts, shafts, links, ducts,waveguides, guide vanes, rotor-blade sleeves, ventral fins, actuators,exhaust structures, cases, frames, fuel nozzles), turbopump components,a screen, a filter, and a porous catalyst, without departing from thescope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art will readilyappreciate that the foregoing list is not a comprehensive listing, butonly exemplary. Accordingly, the foregoing listing of parts and/orcomponents should not be limiting to the scope of the presentdisclosure.

As used herein, the term “part” refers to any tool, part, component, orstructure that may benefit from being manufactured as a ceramic orintermetallic, either in its entirety or in part. It should be notedthat the shape, configuration, design, or size of the part fabricatedusing the principles or methods described herein is only limited by theselected additive manufacturing process used to fabricate the desiredpart. For instance, a ceramic or intermetallic part produced by additivemanufacturing and the principles disclosed herein may take a variety offorms, such as a completed part, a porous network that is subsequentlyinfiltrated or filled in to form a metal-matrix or ceramic-matrixcomposite, or various components or reinforcement formats that may beused to reinforce a composite material. Examples of the ceramic orintermetallic material formed by additive manufacturing include powders,mesoscale structures, and building-block components to be used increating larger structures. Examples of suitable composite materialsinclude sites, and the like. Such ceramic or intermetallic componentsmay be used to reinforce metals, alloys, or metal-matrix composites suchthat the parts become suitable replacements for oxidedispersion-strengthened alloys. Furthermore, the production ofceramic-matrix composites using such ceramic or intermetallic componentsmay produce additional strengthening in a porous network of mesoscalestructures that is not achievable by the conventionalfiber-reinforcement method. The principles disclosed herein can also beemployed to create ceramic parts where an open porous structure isrequired such as a filter, a screen, a catalyst, and the like.

Intermetallics are generally classified in two groups: stoichiometricand non-stoichiometric. Stoichiometric intermetallics, such as Al₃Ni,have a fixed composition (e.g., a vertical line on a phase diagram) and,similar to ceramic materials, are generally very hard, strong, andbrittle. Non-stoichiometric intermetallics, such as AlNi, occur over arange of compositions and are generally more ductile than stoichiometricintermetallics. As a result, non-stoichiometric intermetallics provideintermediate properties between those of ceramics and stoichiometricintermetallics and those of pure metals and solid-solution alloys. Moreparticularly, stoichiometric intermetallic structures provide enhancedstiffness and strength, similar to ceramics, whereas non-stoichiometricintermetallic structures provide intermediate reinforcing properties(e.g., still stiffer than matrix materials, that is to say, binder oralloy materials, but with some ductility compared to ceramic andstoichiometric intermetallic materials).

Referring to FIG. 1, illustrated is a schematic flowchart of anexemplary method 10 of fabricating a part, according to one or moreembodiments. The method 10 may include printing a three-dimensionalporous metallic workpiece using an additive manufacturing process, as at12. The additive manufacturing process (e.g., 3D printing) may include,but is not limited to, laser sintering (LS) [e.g., selective lasersintering (SLS), direct metal laser sintering (DMLS)], laser melting(LM) [e.g., selective laser melting (SLM), lasercusing], electron-beammelting (EBM), laser metal deposition [e.g., direct metal deposition(DMD), laser engineered net shaping (LENS), directed light fabrication(DLF), direct laser deposition (DLD), direct laser fabrication (DLF),laser rapid forming (LRF), laser melting deposition (LMD)], anycombination thereof, and the like. The resulting metallic workpiece maybe printed to any desired shape, configuration, design, or size tocorrespond to the specific part being fabricated.

The metallic workpiece may be made out of any base metal or base metalalloy that can form a carbide, a nitride, a boride, an oxide, asilicide, or an intermetallic upon being subjected to appropriateconditions. Carbides may be formed by using aluminum, boron, calcium,cerium, chromium, erbium, iron, hafnium, lanthanum, lithium, magnesium,manganese, molybdenum, niobium, praseodymium, scandium, silicon,tantalum, titanium, vanadium, tungsten, yttrium, ytterbium, andzirconium. Nitrides may be formed by using aluminum, boron, calcium,cerium, cobalt, chromium, iron, gallium, hafnium, indium, lithium,magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, niobium, nickel, scandium, silicon,tantalum, titanium, vanadium, tungsten, yttrium, and zirconium. Boridesmay be formed by using aluminum, barium, beryllium, calcium, cerium,cobalt, chromium, dysprosium, erbium, europium, iron, gadolinium,hafnium, holmium, lanthanum, lithium, lutetium, magnesium, manganese,molybdenum, niobium, neodymium, nickel, osmium, palladium, praseodymium,platinum, rhenium, rhodium, ruthenium, scandium, samarium, strontium,tantalum, terbium, titanium, thulium, vanadium, tungsten, yttrium,ytterbium, and zirconium. Oxides may be formed by using aluminum,barium, beryllium, bismuth, calcium, cadmium, cerium, cobalt, chromium,cesium, copper, erbium, iron, gallium, germanium, hafnium, indium,potassium, lanthanum, lithium, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, sodium,niobium, neodymium, nickel, lead, praseodymium, rubidium, antimony,scandium, silicon, tin, strontium, tantalum, terbium, tellurium,titanium, vanadium, tungsten, yttrium, zinc, and zirconium. Silicidesmay be formed by using barium, boron, calcium, cerium, cobalt, chromium,dysprosium, erbium, iron, gadolinium, hafnium, holmium, iridium,lanthanum, lithium, lutetium, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, niobium,neodymium, nickel, osmium, palladium, praseodymium, platinum, rhenium,rhodium, ruthenium, scandium, samarium, strontium, tantalum, terbium,tellurium, titanium, thulium, vanadium, tungsten, yttrium, ytterbium,and zirconium.

Intermetallics (both stoichiometric and non-stoichiometric) may beformed by using at least two metallic elements that form intermetalliccompounds. In addition to the ceramic materials already listed herein,examples of elements that form refractory aluminum-based intermetallicsinclude cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, hafnium, iridium, manganese,molybdenum, niobium, nickel, palladium, platinum, rhenium, ruthenium,scandium, tantalum, titanium, vanadium, tungsten, and zirconium. Otherexamples of refractory intermetallic systems include silver-titanium,silver-zirconium, gold-hafnium, gold-manganese, gold-niobium,gold-scandium, gold-tantalum, gold-titanium, gold-thulium,gold-vanadium, gold-zirconium, beryllium-copper, beryllium-iron,beryllium-niobium, beryllium-nickel, beryllium-palladium,beryllium-titanium, beryllium-vanadium, beryllium-tungsten,beryllium-zirconium, any combination thereof, and the like. This skilledin the art will readily appreciate that the principles of the presentdisclosure can apply to several other potential intermetallics notlisted herein, without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

Suitable base metals that may be used to form the metallic workpiece andsubsequently form a carbide, a nitride, a boride, an oxide, a silicide,or an intermetallic include, but are not limited to, any element fromany of the foregoing lists. Suitable base metal alloys that may be usedto form the metallic workpiece and subsequently form a carbide, anitride, a boride, an oxide, a silicide, or an intermetallic include,but are not limited to, any alloy wherein the most prevalent element,when measured by weight, is from one of the foregoing lists.

Once printed, the porous metallic workpiece may then be subjected to adiffusion-based process to convert at least a portion of the metallicworkpiece to a ceramic or intermetallic workpiece, as at 14. Suitablediffusion-based processes include, but are not limited to, carburizing,nitriding, bonding, and oxidizing, all of which may convert the metallicworkpiece into a desired ceramic or intermetallic composition. Duringthe diffusion-based process, some or all of the metallic workpiece maybe subjected to a reaction atmosphere comprising any capable media thatmay result in the production of a ceramic (e.g., an oxide, a carbide, aboride, a nitride, a silicide) or an intermetallic material (e.g., AlNi,TiAl). Suitable media includes, but is not limited to, methane, air,oxygen, endogas, exogas, nitrogen, ammonia, charcoal, carbon, graphite,nitriding salts, boron, silicon, vaporized metal (i.e., gas), moltenmetal, or any combination thereof.

As will be appreciated, the porosity of the metallic workpiece may allowthe media of the reaction atmosphere to access some or all of theinternals of the metallic workpiece and thereby react with and diffuseinto all desired regions thereof. In some embodiments, the metallicworkpiece may be printed such that the porosity is relatively low inselect regions or throughout all of the metallic workpiece. Suchembodiments may result in a ceramic or intermetallic part that may bemore ductile (e.g., still metallic) at its core or in selected regions.For instance, in such embodiments, the media of the reaction atmospheremay be unable to access and react with the center of the metallicworkpiece, thereby resulting in a part that is more ductile at its core.In other embodiments, portions of the metallic workpiece may be maskedoff such that the media of the reaction atmosphere is unable to accessthe masked-off portions and a ceramic or intermetallic material will,therefore, not result at those regions. In yet other embodiments, thediffusion-based process may be terminated prematurely such that themedia of the reaction atmosphere is unable to completely react with allportions of the metallic workpiece, thereby also potentially resultingin a ductile core, such as is done in case-hardening applications.Furthermore, in certain cases a gradient of materials (e.g., alloys,intermetallics, and ceramics) may result from the process, therebyproducing a functional gradient of properties. As an example, a Ni coremay remain with a NiAl intermediate layer and a NiAl₃ outer layer.

The diffusion-based process may be conducted at an elevated temperaturewithin a furnace, for example. The furnace used to conduct thediffusion-based process may comprise a continuous or batch furnacecapable of operating with the desired media of the reaction atmosphere.Suitable furnaces include, but are not limited to, a belt furnace, avacuum furnace, a muffle furnace, a retort furnace, any combinationthereof, and the like.

In some embodiments, the diffusion-based process may incorporate the useof a liquid-metal bath. More particularly, the liquid-metal bath may beuseful in reacting constituents together to create the ceramic orintermetallic part. In such embodiments, the metallic workpiece may beimmersed in a liquid-metal bath to create the ceramic or intermetallicpart. As an example, in an embodiment where the metallic workpiece ismanufactured from a nickel-based metal, the nickel-based workpiece maybe immersed in an aluminum bath to produce an intermetallic, such asAlNi₃, AlNi, Al₃Ni₂, or Al₃Ni. As noted above, this process may becarried to completion to completely transform the Ni to an intermetalliccomposition, or it may be carried to an intermediate stage that mayproduce one of these intermetallic phases throughout the part or afunctional gradient of phases (and properties), depending on the timeand temperature cycle of the diffusion-based process.

As will be appreciated, the method 10 may prove advantageous infabricating parts from several commonly used ceramic or intermetallicmaterial systems. Tungsten carbide (WC), for example, is commonly usedin the oil and gas industry to fabricate hard and erosion-resistantparts. According to the present disclosure, WC parts may be fabricatedusing the method 10. In such embodiments, a porous tungsten metallicworkpiece may first be printed using additive manufacturing to a desiredsize and shape, as at 12. In at least one embodiment, the poroustungsten metallic workpiece may comprise a plurality of mesoscalereinforcement components. The printed tungsten metallic workpiece maythen be carburized via the above-described diffusion-based processes toprovide a WC part, as at 14. Other material systems that may be producedusing the method 10 include, but are not limited to, Al₂O₃, AlN, BN,B₄C, CrB₂, Cr₂C₃, NbC, SiC, Si₃N₄, TiB₂, TiC, TiN, Ti(C,N), VC, MgO,Y₂O₃, or any carbide, oxide, boride, nitride, silicide or anyintermetallic compound in which at least one metallic component of theresulting intermetallic or ceramic is capable of being printed usingadditive manufacturing.

Still referring to FIG. 1, in some embodiments, the method 10 mayoptionally and further include infiltrating the ceramic or intermetallicworkpiece with a binder material to produce a composite, as at 16.Example composites include metal-matrix, ceramic-matrix, andpolymer-matrix composites. A metal-matrix composite (MMC) is generallymade from a reinforcement material that is infiltrated with a binder orinfiltration or matrix material. In the present embodiment, the ceramicor intermetallic workpiece may comprise the reinforcement material, andthe binder material may include, but is not limited to, copper, nickel,cobalt, iron, aluminum, molybdenum, chromium, manganese, tin, zinc,lead, silicon, tungsten, boron, phosphorous, gold, silver, palladium,indium, titanium, vanadium, zirconium, niobium, hafnium, tantalum,rhenium, ruthenium, osmium, iridium, any mixture thereof, any alloythereof, and any combination thereof.

The infiltration process may include placing the ceramic orintermetallic workpiece and the binder material into a furnace. In someembodiments, the ceramic or intermetallic workpiece and the bindermaterial may be deposited in a container or a mold prior to beingintroduced into the furnace. When the furnace temperature reaches themelting point of the binder material, the binder material will liquefyand proceed to infiltrate the porous network of the ceramic orintermetallic workpiece. After a predetermined amount of time allottedfor the liquefied binder material to infiltrate the porous network ofthe ceramic or intermetallic workpiece, the resulting composite may thenbe removed from the furnace and cooled at a controlled rate. Theresulting composite may be a sealed or solid composite part or tool.

Referring now to FIG. 2, illustrated is a perspective view of anexemplary drill bit 100 that may be fabricated, at least in part, inaccordance with the principles of the present disclosure. Moreparticularly, one or more portions of the drill bit 100 may befabricated using the method 10 of FIG. 1. It will be appreciated,however, that discussion of the drill bit 100 may equally apply to anyof the parts mentioned or described herein that may be used in the oiland gas industry or any other industry, without departing from the scopeof the disclosure.

In some embodiments, all of the drill bit 100 may be fabricated usingthe method 10, but in other embodiments, only select portions of thedrill bit 100 may be fabricated using the method 10. As illustrated inFIG. 2, the drill bit 100 may include or otherwise define a plurality ofcutter blades 102 arranged along the circumference of a bit head 104.The bit head 104 is connected to a shank 106 to form a bit body 108. Theshank 106 may be connected to the bit head 104 by welding, such as usinglaser arc welding that results in the formation of a weld 110 around aweld groove 112. The shank 106 may further include or otherwise beconnected to a threaded pin 114, such as an American Petroleum Institute(API) drill pipe thread.

In the depicted example, the drill bit 100 includes five cutter blades102, in which multiple recesses or pockets 116 are formed. Cuttingelements 118 may be fixedly installed within each recess 116. This canbe done, for example, by brazing each cutting element 118 into acorresponding recess 116. As the drill bit 100 is rotated in use, thecutting elements 118 engage the rock and underlying earthen materials,to dig, scrape or grind away the material of the formation beingpenetrated.

During drilling operations, drilling fluid or “mud” can be pumpeddownhole through a drill string (not shown) coupled to the drill bit 100at the threaded pin 114. The drilling fluid circulates through and outof the drill bit 100 at one or more nozzles 120 positioned in nozzleopenings 122 defined in the bit head 104. Junk slots 124 are formedbetween each adjacent pair of cutter blades 102. Cuttings, downholedebris, formation fluids, drilling fluid, etc., may pass through thejunk slots 124 and circulate back to the well surface within an annulusformed between exterior portions of the drill string and the inner wallof the wellbore being drilled.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of the drill bit 100 of FIG. 2.Similar numerals from FIG. 2 that are used in FIG. 3 refer to similarcomponents that are not described again. As illustrated, the shank 106may be securely attached to a metal blank (or mandrel) 202 at the weld110 and the metal blank 202 extends into the bit body 108. The shank 106and the metal blank 202 are generally cylindrical structures that definecorresponding fluid cavities 204 a and 204 b, respectively, in fluidcommunication with each other. The fluid cavity 204 b of the metal blank202 may further extend longitudinally into the bit body 108. At leastone flow passageway 206 (one shown) may extend from the fluid cavity 204b to exterior portions of the bit body 108. The nozzle openings 122 (oneshown in FIG. 2) may be defined at the ends of the flow passageways 206at the exterior portions of the bit body 108. The pockets 116 are formedin the bit body 108 and are shaped or otherwise configured to receivethe cutting elements 118 (FIG. 2). The bit body 108 may comprise a hardcomposite portion 208 and, in accordance with the teachings of thepresent disclosure, all or any portion of the hard composite portion 208may be fabricated in accordance with the method of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view of a mold assembly 300 that may beused to form the drill bit 100 of FIGS. 2 and 3. While the mold assembly300 is shown and discussed as being used to help fabricate the drill bit100, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the moldassembly 300 and its several variations described herein may be used tohelp fabricate any of the downhole tools or parts mentioned above,without departing from the scope of the disclosure. As illustrated, themold assembly 300 may include several components such as a mold 302, agauge ring 304, and a funnel 306. In some embodiments, the funnel 306may be operatively coupled to the mold 302 via the gauge ring 304, suchas by corresponding threaded engagements, as illustrated. In otherembodiments, the gauge ring 304 may be omitted from the mold assembly300 and the funnel 306 may instead be operatively coupled directly tothe mold 302, such as via a corresponding threaded engagement, withoutdeparting from the scope of the disclosure.

In some embodiments, as illustrated, the mold assembly 300 may furtherinclude a binder bowl 308 and a cap 310 placed above the funnel 306. Themold 302, the gauge ring 304, the funnel 306, the binder bowl 308, andthe cap 310 may each be made of or otherwise comprise graphite oralumina (Al₂O₃), for example, or other suitable materials. Aninfiltration chamber 312 may be defined or otherwise provided within themold assembly 300. Various techniques may be used to manufacture themold assembly 300 and its components including, but not limited to,machining graphite blanks to produce the various components and therebydefine the infiltration chamber 312 to exhibit a negative or reverseprofile of desired exterior features of the drill bit 100 (FIGS. 2 and3).

Materials, such as consolidated sand or graphite, may be positionedwithin the mold assembly 300 at desired locations to form variousfeatures of the drill bit 100 (FIGS. 2 and 3). For example, one or morenozzle displacements or legs 314 (one shown) may be positioned tocorrespond with desired locations and configurations of the flowpassageways 206 (FIG. 3) and their respective nozzle openings 122 (FIGS.2 and 3). One or more junk slot displacements 315 may also be positionedwithin the mold assembly 300 to correspond with the junk slots 124 (FIG.2). Moreover, a cylindrically-shaped central displacement 316 may beplaced on the legs 314. The number of legs 314 extending from thecentral displacement 316 will depend upon the desired number of flowpassageways and corresponding nozzle openings 122 in the drill bit 100.Further, cutter-pocket displacements (shown as part of mold 302 in FIG.4) may be placed in the mold 302 to form cutter pockets 116.

After the desired materials, including the central displacement 316 andthe legs 314, have been installed within the mold assembly 300,reinforcement materials 318 may then be placed within or otherwiseintroduced into the mold assembly 300. The reinforcement materials 318may include, for example, various types of reinforcing particles.Moreover, according to the present disclosure, the reinforcementmaterials 318 may include one or more ceramic or intermetallicworkpieces fabricated in accordance with the method 10 of FIG. 1. Theceramic or intermetallic workpieces may prove advantageous instrengthening the bit body 108 (FIGS. 2 and 3) in select locations and,more particularly, strengthening the hard composite portion 208 (FIG. 3)thereof.

Suitable reinforcing particles include, but are not limited to,particles of metals, metal alloys, superalloys, intermetallics, borides,carbides, nitrides, oxides, ceramics, diamonds, and the like, or anycombination thereof. More particularly, examples of reinforcingparticles suitable for use in conjunction with the embodiments describedherein may include particles that include, but are not limited to,tungsten, molybdenum, niobium, tantalum, rhenium, iridium, ruthenium,beryllium, titanium, chromium, rhodium, iron, cobalt, uranium, nickel,nitrides, silicon nitrides, boron nitrides, cubic boron nitrides,natural diamonds, synthetic diamonds, cemented carbide, sphericalcarbides, low-alloy sintered materials, cast carbides, silicon carbides,boron carbides, cubic boron carbides, molybdenum carbides, titaniumcarbides, tantalum carbides, niobium carbides, chromium carbides,vanadium carbides, iron carbides, tungsten carbides, macrocrystallinetungsten carbides, cast tungsten carbides, crushed sintered tungstencarbides, carburized tungsten carbides, steels, stainless steels,austenitic steels, ferritic steels, martensitic steels,precipitation-hardening steels, duplex stainless steels, ceramics, ironalloys, nickel alloys, cobalt alloys, chromium alloys, HASTELLOY® alloys(i.e., nickel-chromium containing alloys, available from HaynesInternational), INCONEL® alloys (i.e., austenitic nickel-chromiumcontaining superalloys available from Special Metals Corporation),WASPALOYS® (i.e., austenitic nickel-based superalloys), RENE® alloys(i.e., nickel-chromium containing alloys available from Altemp Alloys,Inc.), HAYNES® alloys (i.e., nickel-chromium containing superalloysavailable from Haynes International), INCOLOY® alloys (i.e., iron-nickelcontaining superalloys available from Mega Mex), MP98T (i.e., anickel-copper-chromium superalloy available from SPS Technologies), TMSalloys, CMSX® alloys (i.e., nickel-based superalloys available from C-MGroup), cobalt alloy 6B (i.e., cobalt-based superalloy available fromHPA), N-155 alloys, any mixture thereof, and any combination thereof. Insome embodiments, the reinforcing particles may be coated. For example,by way of non-limiting example, the reinforcing particles may comprisediamond coated with titanium.

In some embodiments, the reinforcing particles described herein may havea diameter ranging from a lower limit of 1 micron, 10 microns, 50microns, or 100 microns to an upper limit of 1000 microns, 800 microns,500 microns, 400 microns, or 200 microns, wherein the diameter of thereinforcing particles may range from any lower limit to any upper limitand encompasses any subset therebetween.

The metal blank 202 may be supported at least partially by thereinforcement materials 318 within the infiltration chamber 312. Moreparticularly, after a sufficient volume of the reinforcement materials318 (including both reinforcing particles and one or more selectivelyplaced ceramic or intermetallic workpieces) has been added to the moldassembly 300, the metal blank 202 may then be placed within moldassembly 300. The metal blank 202 may include an inside diameter 320that is greater than an outside diameter 322 of the central displacement316, and various fixtures (not expressly shown) may be used to positionthe metal blank 202 within the mold assembly 300 at a desired location.The reinforcement materials 318 may then be filled to a desired levelwithin the infiltration chamber 312.

Binder material 324 may then be placed on top of the reinforcementmaterials 318, the metal blank 202, and the core 316. Suitable bindermaterials 324 include, but are not limited to, copper, nickel, cobalt,iron, aluminum, molybdenum, chromium, manganese, tin, zinc, lead,silicon, tungsten, boron, phosphorous, gold, silver, palladium, indium,any mixture thereof, any alloy thereof, and any combination thereof.Non-limiting examples of the binder material 324 may includecopper-phosphorus, copper-phosphorous-silver,copper-manganese-phosphorous, copper-nickel, copper-manganese-nickel,copper-manganese-zinc, copper-manganese-nickel-zinc,copper-nickel-indium, copper-tin-manganese-nickel,copper-tin-manganese-nickel-iron, gold-nickel, gold-palladium-nickel,gold-copper-nickel, silver-copper-zinc-nickel, silver-manganese,silver-copper-zinc-cadmium, silver-copper-tin,cobalt-silicon-chromium-nickel-tungsten,cobalt-silicon-chromium-nickel-tungsten-boron,manganese-nickel-cobalt-boron, nickel-silicon-chromium,nickel-chromium-silicon-manganese, nickel-chromium-silicon,nickel-silicon-boron, nickel-silicon-chromium-boron-iron,nickel-phosphorus, nickel-manganese, copper-aluminum,copper-aluminum-nickel, copper-aluminum-nickel-iron,copper-aluminum-nickel-zinc-tin-iron, and the like, and any combinationthereof. Examples of commercially-available binder materials 324include, but are not limited to, VIRGIN™ Binder 453D(copper-manganese-nickel-zinc, available from Belmont Metals, Inc.), andcopper-tin-manganese-nickel and copper-tin-manganese-nickel-iron grades516, 519, 523, 512, 518, and 520 available from ATI Firth Sterling.

In some embodiments, the binder material 324 may be covered with a fluxlayer (not expressly shown). The amount of binder material 324 (andoptional flux material) added to the infiltration chamber 312 should beat least enough to infiltrate the reinforcement materials 318 and,optionally, the one or more ceramic or intermetallic workpieces duringthe infiltration process. In some instances, some or all of the bindermaterial 324 may be placed in the binder bowl 308, which may be used todistribute the binder material 324 into the infiltration chamber 312 viavarious conduits 326 that extend therethrough. The cap 310 (if used) maythen be placed over the mold assembly 300. The mold assembly 300 and thematerials disposed therein may then be preheated and then placed in afurnace (not shown). When the furnace temperature reaches the meltingpoint of the binder material 324, the binder material 324 will liquefyand proceed to infiltrate the reinforcement materials 318.

After a predetermined amount of time allotted for the liquefied bindermaterial 324 to infiltrate the reinforcement materials 318, the moldassembly 300 may then be removed from the furnace and cooled at acontrolled rate. Once cooled, the mold assembly 300 may be broken awayto expose the bit body 108 (FIGS. 2 and 3) that includes the hardcomposite portion 208 (FIG. 3). Subsequent processing according towell-known techniques may be used to finish the drill bit 100 (FIG. 2).

As mentioned above, along with reinforcing particles, one or moreceramic or intermetallic workpieces may also be included in thereinforcement materials 318 to be infiltrated by the binder material324. The ceramic or intermetallic workpieces described herein may proveadvantageous in reinforcing the hard composite portion 208 (FIG. 3) ofthe drill bit 100 of FIGS. 2 and 3 and thereby helping to increasestrength, hardness, and/or erosion resistance, thereby resistingdeflection, deformation, erosion, and/or abrasion during operation. Suchproperties may increase the lifetime of the drill bit 100 once in use.

The material or composition of the ceramic or intermetallic workpiecesmay bond with the binder material 324, so that an increased amount ofthermal and mechanical stresses (or loads) can be transferred to theceramic or intermetallic workpieces. Further, a composition that bondswith the binder material 324 may be less likely to pull out from thebinder material 324 as a crack propagates. In some embodiments, thematerial or composition of the ceramic or intermetallic workpieces maybe designed to endure temperatures and pressures experienced whenforming the hard composite portion 208 (FIG. 3) with little to noalloying with the binder material 324 or oxidation. In yet otherinstances, the atmospheric conditions may be altered (e.g., reducedoxygen content achieved via reduced pressures or gas purge or vacuum) tomitigate oxidation of the ceramic or intermetallic workpieces andthereby enhance bonding between the ceramic or intermetallic workpiecesand the binder. Such atmospheric conditions may allow for a bindercomposition that may not be suitable for use in standard atmosphericoxygen concentrations.

As indicated and discussed above, the ceramic or intermetallicworkpieces may be fabricated to exhibit any desired shape,configuration, and size, depending primarily on the fabricationcapabilities of the selected additive manufacturing technique used toinitially fabricate the porous metallic workpieces. In the presentembodiment of fabricating the drill bit 100 (FIGS. 2 and 3), the ceramicor intermetallic workpieces may positioned in select regions of the hardcomposite portion 208 (FIG. 3) prior to infiltration. For instance, inat least one embodiment, a ceramic or intermetallic workpiece may bepositioned in each blade 102 (FIG. 2) region to provide structuralreinforcement and erosion-resistance. In other embodiments, one or moreceramic or intermetallic workpieces may be arranged or otherwisepositioned to form the cutter pockets 116 (FIGS. 2 and 3). In yet otherembodiments, the entire bit body 108 (FIGS. 2 and 3) may comprise asingle ceramic or intermetallic workpiece to be infiltrated by thebinder material 324. In further embodiments, one or more ceramic orintermetallic workpieces may be arranged or otherwise positioned to forma macroscopic reinforcing structure that connects at least one of theblades to at least one other blade (e.g., a gear-like shape positionedwith teeth protruding into each blade).

By way of nonlimiting illustration, FIGS. 5-7 provide examples ofimplementing ceramic or intermetallic workpieces described herein intothe bit body 108 of the drill bit 100 of FIGS. 2 and 3. One skilled inthe art will readily recognize how to adapt these teachings to othertypes of composite (i.e., MMC) tools or parts in keeping with the scopeof the disclosure. In some embodiments, placement of the ceramic orintermetallic workpieces within the bit body 108 or the hard compositeportion 208 may be localized. Localization, in some instances, mayprovide enhanced strength and stiffness and may reduce the erosionproperties of the drill bit 100.

FIG. 5, for example, illustrates a cross-sectional side view of thedrill bit 100 as comprising the hard composite portion 208 and one ormore localized ceramic or intermetallic workpieces 502, according to oneor more embodiments. As illustrated, the ceramic or intermetallicworkpiece(s) 502 may be localized in the bit body 108 in one or morelocations with the remaining portion of the bit body 108 being formed bythe hard composite portion 208 (e.g., comprising binder material 324 andreinforcing particles without the ceramic or intermetallic workpiece(s)502). The localized ceramic or intermetallic workpiece(s) 502 is shownin FIG. 5 as being located proximal the nozzle openings 122 andgenerally at an apex 504 of the drill bit 100, two areas of the bit body108 that may benefit from structural reinforcement. As used herein, theterm “apex” refers to the central portion of the exterior surface of thebit body 108 that engages the formation during drilling and generally ator near where the cutter blades 102 (FIG. 1) meet on the exteriorsurface of the bit body 108 to engage the formation during drilling. Aswill be appreciated, localization of the ceramic or intermetallicworkpiece(s) 502 may help mitigate crack initiation and propagation,while also manipulating the erosion properties of the bit body 108because of the lower concentration of reinforcing particles at thelocalized areas.

As another example, FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional side view ofthe drill bit 100 as comprising the hard composite portion 208 and oneor more localized ceramic or intermetallic workpieces 502, according toone or more embodiments. In the illustrated embodiments, the ceramic orintermetallic workpiece(s) 502 may comprise a monolithic structure or itmay denote a region that is reinforced with mesoscale reinforcingstructures or workpieces. As illustrated, the ceramic or intermetallicworkpiece(s) 502 may be located proximal the nozzle openings 122 and thepockets 116, and otherwise encompassing the blades 102 (FIG. 1) and/orthe center of the bit body 108. In some embodiments, the porosity of theceramic or intermetallic workpiece(s) 502 may change in concentration,geometry, or both along radial, circumferential, and/or longitudinaldirections. Similar to localization, changing the concentration,geometry, or both of the ceramic or intermetallic workpiece(s) 502 may,in some instances, be used to enhance strength and stiffness and furtherto maintain suitable erosion resistance.

FIG. 7 illustrates a cross-sectional side view of the drill bit 100 ascomprising the hard composite portion 208 and multiple ceramic orintermetallic workpieces 502, according to one or more embodiments. Theworkpieces 502 illustrated in FIG. 7 may be monolithic structures orthey may denote regions reinforced with mesoscale reinforcing structuresor workpieces. More particularly, the ceramic or intermetallicworkpieces 502 are shown to be located proximal the nozzle openings 122and the pockets 116 in separate layers or workpieces 502 a, 502 b, and502 c. The porosity of the workpieces 502 a-c may vary from one anotherand/or within themselves so as to vary the mechanical properties of thebit body 108 following infiltration. For instance, the porosity of thefirst workpiece 502 a may be greater than the porosity of the secondworkpiece 502 b, which may be greater than the porosity of the thirdworkpiece 502 c. Accordingly, the first workpiece 502 a may be harderthan the third workpiece 502 c following infiltration. Advantageously,the first workpiece 502 a is depicted as being located proximal thenozzle openings 122 and the pockets 116 to provide increasederosion-resistance. One skilled in the art will readily recognize thevarious configurations and locations for the workpieces 502 a-c(including varying concentrations, geometries, and sizes) that would besuitable for producing a bit body 108, and a resultant drill bit 100,that has a reduced propensity to have cracks initiate and propagate.

Referring now to FIG. 8, illustrated is an exemplary drilling system 800that may employ one or more principles of the present disclosure.Boreholes may be created by drilling into the earth 802 using thedrilling system 800. The drilling system 800 may be configured to drivea bottom hole assembly (BHA) 804 positioned or otherwise arranged at thebottom of a drill string 806 extended into the earth 802 from a derrick808 arranged at the surface 810. The derrick 808 includes a kelly 812and a traveling block 813 used to lower and raise the kelly 812 and thedrill string 806.

The BHA 804 may include a drill bit 814 operatively coupled to a toolstring 816 which may be moved axially within a drilled wellbore 818 asattached to the drill string 806. The drill bit 814 may be fabricatedand otherwise created in accordance with the principles of the presentdisclosure and, more particularly, using one or more ceramic orintermetallic workpieces infiltrated into the bit body 108. Duringoperation, the drill bit 814 penetrates the earth 802 and therebycreates the wellbore 118. The BHA 804 provides directional control ofthe drill bit 814 as it advances into the earth 802. The tool string 816can be semi-permanently mounted with various measurement tools (notshown) such as, but not limited to, measurement-while-drilling (MWD) andlogging-while-drilling (LWD) tools, that may be configured to takedownhole measurements of drilling conditions. In other embodiments, themeasurement tools may be self-contained within the tool string 816, asshown in FIG. 9.

Fluid or “mud” from a mud tank 820 may be pumped downhole using a mudpump 822 powered by an adjacent power source, such as a prime mover ormotor 824. The mud may be pumped from the mud tank 820, through a standpipe 826, which feeds the mud into the drill string 806 and conveys thesame to the drill bit 814. The mud exits one or more nozzles arranged inthe drill bit 814 and in the process cools the drill bit 814. Afterexiting the drill bit 814, the mud circulates back to the surface 810via the annulus defined between the wellbore 818 and the drill string806, and in the process returns drill cuttings and debris to thesurface. The cuttings and mud mixture are passed through a flow line 828and are processed such that a cleaned mud is returned down hole throughthe stand pipe 826 once again.

Although the drilling system 800 is shown and described with respect toa rotary drill system in FIG. 9, those skilled in the art will readilyappreciate that many types of drilling systems can be employed incarrying out embodiments of the disclosure. For instance, drills anddrill rigs used in embodiments of the disclosure may be used onshore (asdepicted in FIG. 1) or offshore (not shown). Offshore oil rigs that maybe used in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure include, forexample, floaters, fixed platforms, gravity-based structures, drillships, semi-submersible platforms, jack-up drilling rigs, tension-legplatforms, and the like. It will be appreciated that embodiments of thedisclosure can be applied to rigs ranging anywhere from small in sizeand portable, to bulky and permanent.

Further, although described herein with respect to oil drilling, variousembodiments of the disclosure may be used in many other applications.For example, disclosed methods can be used in drilling for mineralexploration, environmental investigation, natural gas extraction,underground installation, mining operations, water wells, geothermalwells, and the like. Further, embodiments of the disclosure may be usedin weight-on-packers assemblies, in running liner hangers, in runningcompletion strings, etc., without departing from the scope of thedisclosure.

Embodiments disclosed herein include:

A. A part that includes a three-dimensional porous metallic workpieceprinted via an additive manufacturing process and subsequently subjectedto a diffusion-based process to convert at least a portion of the porousmetallic workpiece to a ceramic workpiece or an intermetallic workpiece.

B. A method of manufacturing a part that includes printing athree-dimensional porous metallic workpiece via an additivemanufacturing process, and subjecting the porous metallic workpiece to adiffusion-based process and thereby converting at least a portion of theporous metallic workpiece to a ceramic workpiece or an intermetallicworkpiece, wherein the porous metallic workpiece comprises a metal or ametal alloy that forms one of a carbide, a nitride, a boride, an oxide,a silicide, or an intermetallic upon being subjected to a reactionatmosphere of the diffusion-based process.

C. A method of fabricating a drill bit that includes positioning one ormore ceramic or intermetallic workpieces into a mold assembly thatdefines at least a portion of an infiltration chamber, wherein eachceramic or intermetallic workpiece is made by printing athree-dimensional porous metallic workpiece via an additivemanufacturing process, and subjecting the porous metallic workpiece to adiffusion-based process and thereby converting at least a portion of theporous metallic workpiece to a ceramic workpiece or an intermetallicworkpiece, wherein the porous metallic workpiece comprises a metal or ametal alloy that forms one of a carbide, a nitride, a boride, an oxide,a silicide, or an intermetallic upon being subjected to a reactionatmosphere of the diffusion-based process. The method further includingdepositing reinforcing materials into the infiltration chamber, andinfiltrating the one or more ceramic or intermetallic workpieces and thereinforcing materials with a binder material and thereby producing acomposite.

Each of embodiments A, B, and C may have one or more of the followingadditional elements in any combination: Element 1: wherein the additivemanufacturing process is selected from the group consisting of lasersintering, laser melting, electron-beam melting, laser metal deposition,fused deposition modeling, fused filament fabrication, selective lasersintering, stereolithography, laminated object manufacturing, polyjet,and any combination thereof. Element 2: wherein the part is selectedfrom the group consisting of an oilfield drill bit or cutting tool, anon-retrievable drilling component, an aluminum drill bit body, adrill-string stabilizer, a cone for a roller-cone drill bit, a model forforging dies, an arm for a fixed reamer, an arm for an expandablereamer, an internal component associated with an expandable reamer, asleeve attachable to an uphole end of a rotary drill bit, a rotarysteering tool, a logging-while-drilling tool, ameasurement-while-drilling tool, a side-wall coring tool, a fishingspear, a washover tool, a rotor, a stator and/or housing for a downholedrilling motor, a blade for a downhole turbine, armor plating, anautomotive component, a bicycle frame, a brake fin, an aerospacecomponent, a turbopump component, a screen, a filter, a porous catalystand any combination thereof. Element 3: wherein the porous metallicworkpiece comprises a metal or a metal alloy that forms one of acarbide, a nitride, a boride, an oxide, a silicide, or an intermetallicupon being subjected to a reaction atmosphere of the diffusion-basedprocess. Element 4: wherein the metal is selected from the groupconsisting of aluminum, antimony, barium, beryllium, bismuth, boron,cadmium, calcium, cerium, cesium, chromium, cobalt, copper, erbium,europium, gadolinium, gallium, germanium, hafnium, holmium, indium,iron, lanthanum, lead, lutetium, lithium, magnesium, manganese,molybdenum, neodymium, nickel, niobium, osmium, palladium, platinum,potassium, praseodymium, rhenium, rhodium, rubidium, ruthenium,samarium, scandium, silicon, sodium, strontium, tantalum, tellurium,terbium, thulium, tin, titanium, tungsten, vanadium, yttrium, ytterbium,zinc, and zirconium. Element 5: wherein the metal alloy is an alloyresulting from the combination of at least two metals selected from thegroup consisting of aluminum, antimony, barium, beryllium, bismuth,boron, cadmium, calcium, cerium, cesium, chromium, cobalt, copper,erbium, europium, gadolinium, gallium, germanium, hafnium, holmium,indium, iron, lanthanum, lead, lutetium, lithium, magnesium, manganese,molybdenum, neodymium, nickel, niobium, osmium, palladium, platinum,potassium, praseodymium, rhenium, rhodium, rubidium, ruthenium,samarium, scandium, silicon, sodium, strontium, tantalum, tellurium,terbium, thulium, tin, titanium, tungsten, vanadium, yttrium, ytterbium,zinc, and zirconium. Element 6: wherein some or all of the metallicworkpiece is subjected to the reaction atmosphere during thediffusion-based process, the reaction atmosphere comprising a mediaselected from the group consisting of methane, air, oxygen, endogas,exogas, nitrogen, ammonia, charcoal, carbon, graphite, nitriding salts,boron, silicon, a vaporized metal, a molten metal, and any combinationthereof. Element 7: wherein the ceramic workpiece or the intermetallicworkpiece is infiltrated with a binder material to produce a composite.Element 8: wherein the binder material is a material selected from thegroup consisting of copper, nickel, cobalt, iron, aluminum, molybdenum,chromium, manganese, tin, zinc, lead, silicon, tungsten, boron,phosphorous, gold, silver, palladium, indium, titanium, vanadium,zirconium, niobium, hafnium, tantalum, rhenium, ruthenium, osmium,iridium, and alloy thereof.

Element 9: further comprising infiltrating the ceramic workpiece or theintermetallic workpiece with a binder material and thereby producing acomposite. Element 10: wherein infiltrating the ceramic workpiece or theintermetallic workpiece with a binder material comprises liquefying thebinder material, and infiltrating at least a portion of a porous networkof the ceramic workpiece or the intermetallic workpiece with a liquefiedbinder material. Element 11: further comprising penetrating at least aportion of a porous network of the porous metallic workpiece with amedia of the reaction atmosphere, wherein the media is selected from thegroup consisting of methane, air, oxygen, endogas, exogas, nitrogen,ammonia, charcoal, carbon, graphite, nitriding salts, boron, silicon, avaporized metal, a molten metal, and any combination thereof. Element12: wherein subjecting the porous metallic 0workpiece to thediffusion-based process comprises masking at least a portion of theporous metallic workpiece and thereby preventing a media of the reactionatmosphere from accessing at least a portion of the porous metallicworkpiece. Element 13: further comprising terminating thediffusion-based process prematurely to prevent a media of the reactionatmosphere from accessing at least a portion of the porous metallicworkpiece.

Element 14: wherein infiltrating the one or more ceramic orintermetallic workpieces with the binder material comprises liquefyingthe binder material, and infiltrating at least a portion of a porousnetwork of the one or more ceramic or intermetallic workpieces with aliquefied binder material. Element 15: further comprising penetrating atleast a portion of a porous network of the porous metallic workpiecewith a media of the reaction atmosphere, wherein the media is selectedfrom the group consisting of methane, air, oxygen, endogas, exogas,nitrogen, ammonia, charcoal, carbon, graphite, nitriding salts, boron,silicon, a vaporized metal, a molten metal, and any combination thereof.Element 16: wherein infiltrating the one or more ceramic orintermetallic workpieces with the binder material comprises infiltratingthe one or more ceramic or intermetallic workpieces with a bindermaterial selected from the group consisting of copper, nickel, cobalt,iron, aluminum, molybdenum, chromium, manganese, tin, zinc, lead,silicon, tungsten, boron, phosphorous, gold, silver, palladium, indium,titanium, vanadium, zirconium, niobium, hafnium, tantalum, rhenium,ruthenium, osmium, iridium, and alloy thereof. Element 17: wherein themold assembly defines one or more cutter pockets, and whereinpositioning the one or more ceramic or intermetallic workpieces into themold assembly comprises positioning the one or more ceramic orintermetallic workpieces adjacent or near the one or more cutterpockets. Element 18: wherein the mold assembly defines one or more bladeregions, and wherein positioning the one or more ceramic orintermetallic workpieces into the mold assembly comprises positioning atleast one ceramic or intermetallic workpiece into each blade region.

By way of non-limiting example, exemplary combinations applicable to A,B, and C include: Element 3 with Element 4; Element 3 with Element 5;Element 3 with Element 6; Element 7 with Element 8; and Element 9 withElement 10.

Therefore, the disclosed systems and methods are well adapted to attainthe ends and advantages mentioned as well as those that are inherenttherein. The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrativeonly, as the teachings of the present disclosure may be modified andpracticed in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilledin the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. Furthermore, nolimitations are intended to the details of construction or design hereinshown, other than as described in the claims below. It is thereforeevident that the particular illustrative embodiments disclosed above maybe altered, combined, or modified and all such variations are consideredwithin the scope of the present disclosure. The systems and methodsillustratively disclosed herein may suitably be practiced in the absenceof any element that is not specifically disclosed herein and/or anyoptional element disclosed herein. While compositions and methods aredescribed in terms of “comprising,” “containing,” or “including” variouscomponents or steps, the compositions and methods can also “consistessentially of” or “consist of” the various components and steps. Allnumbers and ranges disclosed above may vary by some amount. Whenever anumerical range with a lower limit and an upper limit is disclosed, anynumber and any included range falling within the range is specificallydisclosed. In particular, every range of values (of the form, “fromabout a to about b,” or, equivalently, “from approximately a to b,” or,equivalently, “from approximately a-b”) disclosed herein is to beunderstood to set forth every number and range encompassed within thebroader range of values. Also, the terms in the claims have their plain,ordinary meaning unless otherwise explicitly and clearly defined by thepatentee. Moreover, the indefinite articles “a” or “an,” as used in theclaims, are defined herein to mean one or more than one of the elementsthat it introduces. If there is any conflict in the usages of a word orterm in this specification and one or more patent or other documentsthat may be incorporated herein by reference, the definitions that areconsistent with this specification should be adopted.

As used herein, the phrase “at least one of” preceding a series ofitems, with the terms “and” or “or” to separate any of the items,modifies the list as a whole, rather than each member of the list (i.e.,each item). The phrase “at least one of” allows a meaning that includesat least one of any one of the items, and/or at least one of anycombination of the items, and/or at least one of each of the items. Byway of example, the phrases “at least one of A, B, and C” or “at leastone of A, B, or C” each refer to only A, only B, or only C; anycombination of A, B, and C; and/or at least one of each of A, B, and C.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of manufacturing a part, comprising:printing a three-dimensional porous metallic workpiece via an additivemanufacturing process; and subjecting the porous metallic workpiece to adiffusion-based process and thereby converting at least a portion of theporous metallic workpiece to a ceramic workpiece or an intermetallicworkpiece, wherein the porous metallic workpiece comprises a metal or ametal alloy that forms one of a carbide, a nitride, a boride, an oxide,a silicide, or an intermetallic upon being subjected to a reactionatmosphere of the diffusion-based process.
 2. The method of claim 1,further comprising infiltrating the ceramic workpiece or theintermetallic workpiece with a binder material and thereby producing acomposite.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein infiltrating the ceramicworkpiece or the intermetallic workpiece with a binder materialcomprises: liquefying the binder material; and infiltrating at least aportion of a porous network of the ceramic workpiece or theintermetallic workpiece with a liquefied binder material.
 4. The methodof claim 1, further comprising penetrating at least a portion of aporous network of the porous metallic workpiece with a media of thereaction atmosphere, wherein the media is selected from the groupconsisting of methane, air, oxygen, endogas, exogas, nitrogen, ammonia,charcoal, carbon, graphite, nitriding salts, boron, silicon, a vaporizedmetal, a molten metal, and any combination thereof
 5. The method ofclaim 1, wherein subjecting the porous metallic workpiece to thediffusion-based process comprises masking at least a portion of theporous metallic workpiece and thereby preventing a media of the reactionatmosphere from accessing at least a portion of the porous metallicworkpiece.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising terminating thediffusion-based process prematurely to prevent a media of the reactionatmosphere from accessing at least a portion of the porous metallicworkpiece.
 7. A method of fabricating a drill bit, comprising:positioning one or more ceramic or intermetallic workpieces into a moldassembly that defines at least a portion of an infiltration chamber,wherein each ceramic or intermetallic workpiece is made by: printing athree-dimensional porous metallic workpiece via an additivemanufacturing process; and subjecting the porous metallic workpiece to adiffusion-based process and thereby converting at least a portion of theporous metallic workpiece to a ceramic workpiece or an intermetallicworkpiece, wherein the porous metallic workpiece comprises a metal or ametal alloy that forms one of a carbide, a nitride, a boride, an oxide,a silicide, or an intermetallic upon being subjected to a reactionatmosphere of the diffusion-based process; depositing reinforcingmaterials into the infiltration chamber; and infiltrating the one ormore ceramic or intermetallic workpieces and the reinforcing materialswith a binder material and thereby producing a composite.
 8. The methodof claim 7, wherein infiltrating the one or more ceramic orintermetallic workpieces with the binder material comprises: liquefyingthe binder material; and infiltrating at least a portion of a porousnetwork of the one or more ceramic or intermetallic workpieces with aliquefied binder material.
 9. The method of claim 7, further comprisingpenetrating at least a portion of a porous network of the porousmetallic workpiece with a media of the reaction atmosphere, wherein themedia is selected from the group consisting of methane, air, oxygen,endogas, exogas, nitrogen, ammonia, charcoal, carbon, graphite,nitriding salts, boron, silicon, a vaporized metal, a molten metal, andany combination thereof
 10. The method of claim 7, wherein infiltratingthe one or more ceramic or intermetallic workpieces with the bindermaterial comprises infiltrating the one or more ceramic or intermetallicworkpieces with a binder material selected from the group consisting ofcopper, nickel, cobalt, iron, aluminum, molybdenum, chromium, manganese,tin, zinc, lead, silicon, tungsten, boron, phosphorous, gold, silver,palladium, indium, titanium, vanadium, zirconium, niobium, hafnium,tantalum, rhenium, ruthenium, osmium, iridium, and alloy thereof
 11. Themethod of claim 7, wherein the mold assembly defines one or more cutterpockets, and wherein positioning the one or more ceramic orintermetallic workpieces into the mold assembly comprises positioningthe one or more ceramic or intermetallic workpieces adjacent or near theone or more cutter pockets.
 12. The method of claim 7, wherein the moldassembly defines one or more blade regions, and wherein positioning theone or more ceramic or intermetallic workpieces into the mold assemblycomprises positioning at least one ceramic or intermetallic workpieceinto each blade region.